Roma. Papal Major Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican

2023

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, officially the Papal Major Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, is a Roman Catholic basilica located in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City state; it is a masterpiece of Italian art and one of the symbols of Rome, of which it dominates the panorama. It is the largest of Rome's four papal basilicas and is often described as the largest church in the world both for its size and, metaphorically, for its importance as a center of Catholicism. However, it is not the cathedral church of the Roman diocese since this title belongs to the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, which is also the first in dignity being the Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and of the World. As a papal chapel, located adjacent to the Apostolic Palace, St. Peter's Basilica is the seat of the main manifestations of Catholic worship and is therefore in solemn function on the occasion of the main papal celebrations. Under the pontificate of Pius IX it hosted the sessions of the First Vatican Council and under Pope John XXIII and Paul VI those of the Second Vatican Council. In addition to its liturgical importance, due to its thousand-year history, the workers involved, the exceptional technical and artistic quality, as well as the enormous and lasting influence it exerted on later architecture, St. Peter's basilica is widely considered one of the absolute masterpieces and one of the most important achievements in the history of architecture, and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Vatican City and established in 1984.

You may also like

The Charterhouse of Trisulti

Trisulti Charterhouse is a monastery located in the municipality of Collepardo, in the province of Frosinone. It is recognized as a national monument in 1879.

Gaeta, Lazio. The Grotta del Turco

Grotta del Turco is so called, as in the ninth century the ships of the Saracens took refuge in the crevices of this strategic promontory, to attack ships in transit and plunder them.

Lake Bracciano. View and panorama

Lake Bracciano, originally called Lake Sabatino, is a lake that fills a depression of volcanic and tectonic origin, located in the Roman Tuscia and surrounded by the Sabatini Mountains.

Cassino. The Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino.

The abbey of Montecassino is a Benedictine monastery located on the top of Montecassino, in Lazio. It is the oldest monastery in Italy together with the monastery of Santa Scolastica.

Gaeta.Sanctuary of the Split Mountain

The Sanctuary of the SS. Trinità was built in the 11th century by Benedictine monks on a slope of Monte d'Orlando but the current configuration of the complex dates back to the end of the 17th century and incorporates elements of the Neapolitan and Spanish baroque. Numerous popes, sovereign bishops and saints prayed in this sanctuary including Pope Pius IX, Bernardino of Siena, Ignazio di Loyola, Leonardo da Porto Maurizio, San Paolo della Croce, Gaspare del Bufalo and San Filippo Neri. Legend has it that San Filippo Neri lived inside the Montagna Spaccata, finding refuge on a stone bed now known as the "bed of San Filippo Neri". Along the walls of the rock, it is possible to admire majolica panels depicting the Via Crucis, dating back to 1849 and attributed to S. Bernardino da Siena, containing the verses of Metastasio. In 1434 from the top of the two rock ridges that gave rise to the name of "split mountain" a boulder came off and got stuck further down between the walls of the cleft. A small chapel dedicated to the Crucifix was built on it (14th century).

Marina di Minturno (LT) - Parte I

Gaeta is an Italian town of 20 545 inhabitants in the province of Latina in southern Lazio, belonging to the historical-geographical region of the Terra di Lavoro. It rises in the homonymous gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea and is about 90 km from Naples and 120 km from Rome. The Garigliano and Volturno rivers flow into the Gulf of Gaeta, which extends from the Circeo promontory to Capo Miseno.

Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino (FR)

The abbey of Montecassino is a Benedictine monastery located on the top of Montecassino, in Lazio. Since December 2014 the site has been managed by the Polo Museale del Lazio. The abbey of Montecassino is the oldest monastery in Italy together with the monastery of Santa Scolastica.

Rome. The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is the largest of the famous fountains in Rome. Built on the facade of Palazzo Poli by Nicola Salvi, the competition announced by Pope Clement XII in 1731 had initially been won by the French sculptor Lambert-Sigisbert Adam but subsequently the assignment passed to Salvi: it is said that the change was due to the fact that the pontiff did not want to entrust the work to a foreigner, however another version explains that Adam had to return to France. Begun in 1732, it was finally entrusted in 1759 to Pietro Bracci helped by his son Virginio. The two completed the work, which was inaugurated in 1762.

Collepardo (FR) - Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Cese

A few minutes from the Certosa Trisulti (Collepardo - FR) you can visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Cese, a small hermitage located in a suggestive cave.

↑Back to Top